Sometimes with names I invert phonetic mnemonics. Luis is number 5ui0 and Ben is number 9e2. I think it works for me because A) it's a challenge, B) I'm interested in mnemonics, and C) I really want to get the numbers right to hone my skills. It think it's also fun to add, subtract, and multiply friends. Isn't that nerdy?
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Wolfpack'08Oct 21 '11 at 16:57

Listen. Everyone likes when others show interest in their names
so it's alright to ask him to repeat it or comment how unusual it sounds.

Repeat. Add his name a few times in the conversation, in the Good Bye, and challenge yourself to greet your next Good Afternoon followed by his name.

Judge the book by it's cover. What does his face remind you? The first impression is probably going to be the second, so prejudgemental feelings are helpful and should be encouraged. Take some time to make assumptions about their personality based purelly on their appearence.

Do I know anyone else with that name? Picture the faces of people with the same or similar names. People you know or famous people.

Mr. Dell'Isola also describes a complex technique requiring one to picture the associations interacting with each other in a given place. This is most likely focused on his students aiming for competitions so I won't get into details here.

After your meeting, try to find a picture of them on the internet. Facebook, linkedIn, their website or simply their business card.

Put picture and name into Anki and after a while you can trust that you know the name.

I add a minimum of two cards:

One card where I have to spell out the full name.

The other card shows the name and general information about the
person like their job or how I meet them.

Optional: If the there are multiple pictures of the person that look different I add them in the mode where I have to type out the whole name.

Optional: I add card where I have to type out their birthday.

Optional: I add card where I have to type out their phonenumber.

Just just have to make daily Anki usage into a habit and you will have a great memory. I have to invest some time but I think it's worth the investment. With practice it can become easier. Learning a bit mnemonics can also cut down the time.

If you do your homework, you become the guy who knows the name of everybody.

According to Philip, "Accurately remembering names is one of the simplest yet most important components of interacting with people, no matter in what capacity."

He goes on to provide eight tips on HOW we can better remember people's names and WHY we should not call others by wrong names or nick-names (unless they sanction it), and stresses on the fact that we must make an effort to make sure we remember (and not falter with) names that seem unconventional to us. He then ends it with a few tips from some readers.

Please do not just provide a link but give a summary of what you are linking too.
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Dmitry SelitskiyJul 18 '11 at 6:36

@Dmitry Selitskiy..... its a good thing you pointed out. While not relaying any part from the page, I have made an edit to my answer to include a basic summary.
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KK.Jul 18 '11 at 16:04

1

Thank you. edit However, your answer here still does not provide substance. To make it a truly great answer you could summarize the points raised in the linked resource in your own words so a user here could get the idea of what you are suggesting just by reading your answer and then following the link if further reading is desired.
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Dmitry SelitskiyJul 19 '11 at 3:18

My suggestion is to study how you remember things well. Is it better if something is in numbers versus letters,e.g. instead of remembering Bob, you remember this person is 2.15.2 which you can translate back as Bob? Do you do better with colors where you could imagine each person as a color? Daniel Tammet: Different ways of knowing would be a TED talk where the speaker discusses how he combines colors, shapes and numbers together in how he understands the world. If you write the name out a dozen times, does that help? There may be a lot of trial and error to find the tools that work for you.

For myself, written things tend to be recalled better than others though I do tend to collect bits of trivia.

There isn't one answer. It depends on what works for you and what you have trouble with. My favorite techniques are saying the person's name immediately/in conversation and then writing it down for next time. It still takes me a few tries though.

For names I've never heard before, I've been learning initials and then putting learn "xyz abc's name" on my to do list. That way I see it enough times that i learn it.

Admittedly, this does not directly answer your question, but may be useful to know.

In my experience, the best tool is actually being unafraid to ask for a person's name multiple times, and sometimes being accepting that names are not your forte. Typically when I have to re-ask a name, I find it makes other people feel more comfortable and at ease around you. When you are comfortable showing that you are not perfect others have a tendency to reciprocate that attitude. This tends to generate a more socially safe atmosphere in which people will feel more comfortable asking you questions, sharing their problems, and openly stating their opinions.

That being said, the two most common methods I've heard for memorizing names are either repetition of looking at a face and stating the name in your mind, or creating a very, strange vivid visualization of their name that doubles as a mnemonic.

An example of an mnemonic with my name, Brandon, would be to imagine my face and you take a "Brand" with the letter "B" and put it "on" my forehead. Or for the name Jeanne, I'll think of the words "G" and "ant", and imagine the person walking around with G shaped ants on their body. Typically the more absurd you make the imagery the more it has a tendency to strongly stick in your mind.

I am often confronted with many new names at the workplace. What I do is, I simply write the names down in a very small (paper) notebook together with a short info. Like this" "Susan - blonde girl in tech support, responsible for the cluster". Simple.

I know this sounds weird but I've heard that when the person says their name, you proceed to imagine their name written in big red letters over their head and that's supposed to help you remember the name.

I suppose it makes sense if only because it forces you to think about the name for more than the moment it took them to say it to you. Otherwise, you may not even hear them when they say their name to begin with.